A Trip to Remember
by Sparkle Itamashii
Summary: A trip to London gets Hermione a little more than she bargained for...


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Author: CONTACT Con-589113507 Sparkle Itamashii 

Title: A Trip to Remember

Warnings: Respect the Rating.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is NOT MINE.

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Notes: This is one of the entrance fics for Fanfiction Rip and Shred, the Yahoo! group for serious story reviews. This is the cleaned and edited version, not the one used for the actual entrance. For more information, please visit my profile. Thank you for reading!

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**A Trip to Remember**

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"Remind me again why we had to come along too?" Ron groaned, looking despairingly skyward. "On a weekend, no less!" 

Hermione sighed, exasperated. "It'll be a good learning experience for both of you."

This didn't seem to make a difference to Ron. "Why are you even in the bloody class? Your parents are Muggles, you live in the Muggle world, what good can a Muggle Studies class possibly do for you?"

She huffed and turned to Harry as if asking him to help her out. He pulled his gaze down from the tops of the buildings and gave a half-hearted shrug, offering Ron a sympathetic smile. "Don't look at me. I'm just here to keep the two of you from ripping each other apart."

This didn't seem to placate Hermione one bit. "Well," she snorted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world "first off, it's always good to know as much as you can. I happen to enjoy learning what wizards think of Muggle artifacts." She rounded on Ron again, fixing him with a sharp look. "Did you know, my teacher thought that a computer was just a television? Of course, I had to correct him."

"Of course." Ron rolled his eyes, though the sarcasm of his comment seemed lost on her.

"I've never been to London just for fun." Harry pointed out, hoping to smooth all ruffled feathers. His brow wrinkled thoughtfully. "Let's at least try and enjoy it, all right?"

Ron sighed, surrendering. "Fine."

Up ahead, the teacher, a short and excitable looking wizard, was nearly falling over his own feet in his haste to get everyone to take a look at where they had just arrived. Hermione craned her neck to see what was going on, smiling brightly in anticipation.

"Where do you suppose we've gotten? I do hope we get to see the clock tower, the London Tower, and Buckingham Palace. Oh! Or the Globe Theatre! Shakespeare-"

"I think," Ron interrupted her, pointing to the sign of the shop we had just reached, "You'll have to settle for 'Electronics Inc.' instead, Hermione. Your professor's just gone inside and it looks like we're supposed to follow."

She gave a confused look and turned to see. Sure enough, the students were quietly filing in, whispering furiously to one another as if they were about to enter a grand museum. "Maybe he has to… get a camera or something. I'm sure there is a reason, come on."

Harry shrugged as he followed her in, Ron trailing behind him with a sour expression. "I haven't been to any of the places she mentioned, but I haven't been here either. We might as well enjoy ourselves. I'm sure I could tell you more about what's in there than her teacher." Harry pointed out dubiously.

Up at the head of the class the teacher was trying to make sense of a cell phone. It was clear that he understood what a telephone was, but the idea of a hybrid between a telephone and a walkie-talkie seemed to be boggling him. Hermione had her hand patiently raised so as to correct his misguided understanding, but he was paying her no mind and it only seemed to irritate her. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron had gotten off to a corner where a video game stand was stationed.

"So you press these buttons, and those little guys," Ron indicated the characters on the screen, "race imaginary cars around a track that isn't real?"

"Well, yes."

"What's the point?" He seemed rather confused by the notion.

"For fun, of course. Like playing Quidditch. Only, not real…"

"Harry, this is hardly like Quidditch." Ron said very sternly, as though Harry might drop playing Quidditch to play racing video games.

Distraction seemed the best way to get around a lecture, and Harry quickly pointed to a small stereo system. "Have a look at that, then."

Ron turned, eyes settling on the radio. "What about it?"

Harry clicked it on. "It's a radio." A pop song had just started and the music was quiet enough to prevent anyone from noticing them.

Ron goggled. "I thought Muggles didn't have magic!"

"It's not magic." Harry grinned.

"No magic? Then how does it work, do you suppose?"

Just as Ron was reaching out to touch it, Hermione appeared by his side. "What are you doing? This is ridiculous," she huffed. "I've just asked the clerk and he says there is a museum just down the street. You can come with me or stay and listen to this… this…" She didn't appear to have a word for the trip.

"If you're going to be snarky, I think I'll stay here." Ron looked a bit put out that she had snapped at him.

"Fine. Harry?"

"It'd look strange if Ron were here by himself. He and Malfoy might get into a tiff and then we'd be caught. We'll cover for you."

She gave him a grateful look before slipping out the front door. Harry smiled, watching her dart away and out of sight. Ron rolled his eyes, turning back to the stereo. "I wonder about her sometimes…"

Down the street, Hermione looked up at the museum's entrance. The whole thing was a little intimidating, but people were coming in and out of the doors at the base. Steeling herself, she walked past a group of older women who were just exiting, and took a quick look around the room. There was a small desk with a bored looking clerk stationed just to the left of the only actual door into the museum. With a nod and a smile that wasn't returned, she moved inside and started down the hall.

The first few exhibits she walked through fairly fast. They were interesting enough, but the pamphlet she had nicked from a stand near the door had alluded to greater things. She especially wanted to check out the exhibition on ancient coins. Apparently a cache of gold, silver, and bronze coins unlike anything previously discovered had been unearthed in a small town on the edge of England. Hermione greatly suspected that the museum had unwittingly found wizarding money- ancient galleons, sickles, and knuts. If she was right she would have to wonder just how capable the Ministry of Magic really was, as they obviously hadn't done anything yet.

She had just begun to see the signs pointing to the newest exhibit when she spotted something truly unusual. Ahead of her, gazing quietly upward at an old tapestry was none other than Draco Malfoy. Slim fingers clasped gently behind his back, head tilted up just slightly, and dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt he looked… normal. Almost. She didn't think he would ever let himself look "common." His heritage left no room for allowing such a scandal. Without his lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, by his side, he seemed far less intimidating, almost… approachable. Before he could look her way, she stepped to the side of the corridor, dropping into what few shadows she could find so as to watch him.

What was Draco Malfoy, Slytherin pride and joy, devout Muggle and Muggleborn hater, doing inside a Muggle museum, looking very much like he was enjoying himself? Why had he left the rest of the class to come here? Surely he knew that he could get into trouble with the teacher if he was caught, and that was saying nothing of how his reputation might suffer. Imagine what would happen if everyone found out where he was! She knew Ron would never let it drop and after everything Malfoy had done to them, she had half a mind to march right back to the class and tell him. 

But as she watched him, she knew she couldn't tell.

Not when he was wearing that expression.

His cool, grey eyes glittered in the dim lighting as he gazed upward, moved by whatever held his gaze so completely. The sad, thoughtful look he wore surprised her, as she had never seen any sort of kind expression on Malfoy's face. His sight dropped to the plaque that described the tapestry, his lips moving the slightest bit as he read. A few locks of hair fell loose from where they had been tucked neatly behind his ear and he untangled his hands long enough to brush them back into place. Despite the tapestry's obvious muggle origins Draco seemed… fascinated. Totally absorbed in it.

The entire situation merited further investigation.

She observed him unobtrusively until he moved onward, waiting for him to round the corner before following. He walked with startling silence, shoes making hardly any noise on the tiled floor. She panicked, thinking she would surely lose him. She froze, fearing he would discover her as he stopped. It was a moment before he turned and walked through a doorway to his right. Remembering how to breathe, she ducked in after him.

They had arrived at the coin display. The room was lit in such a way that every coin glittered softly when the viewer moved. The walls were covered with speculative guesses and theories about the origins of the find. Podiums near each case divulged the few facts scientists had managed to glean thus far. Hermione barely contained her gasp of delight. Draco, however, had already noticed her.

"Following me, Granger?" He sneered. "Class is the other way."

She ignored the remark, however and adopted a curious expression. "I thought you hated muggles, _Malfoy_." She stressed his surname as though to remind him of who and where he was. "Imagine what everyone will say when I tell them where I found you…"

The panic that sparked in his eyes was so quick and miniscule that Hermione almost missed it. "No one would believe you." He said smugly after silent contemplation. "You wouldn't tell anyway." She continued to fix him with a dead serious face, and panic flashed across those cloudy eyes again. "Would you?"

She rolled her eyes and waved her hands at him as if that could communicate how stupid she thought he was being. "Of course I wouldn't. I'm not a total prat." She spat.

He fixed her with a hard glare at the clear insult to his person and she readily returned it. Neither moved for a long moment as the silence drifted heavily between them. It was he who moved first, brushing past her with an impatient sigh. Just as he was reaching the arched doorway, she whirled around.

"Malfoy, wait." Though her voice was very stern, it was still a plea. She looked surprised that she had said anything at all, instead of letting him leave.

Frozen in the doorway, he didn't move to keep walking or turn around. His shoulder dropped slightly in resignation as he made up his mind. "What?"

"Do… Do you really like it here?" She whispered, waving her hand around to encompass their surroundings, even though he couldn't see. "All this?"

He didn't move, their quiet breathing the only noise to break the silence. Just when she thought he was going to walk away without answering, he turned. "Yes, Granger. I do. Say a word to anyone and I'll hex you so bad-"

"And if I promise not to say a word," She interrupted, ignoring his offended glare at her audacity, "will you stay and look through the rest with me?"

It was so rare for her to find anyone who was interested in willingly learning anything, and the memory of him look at that tapestry mere moments ago haunted her. Malfoy wasn't her first choice in museum going companions- in fact, he was her last. Somewhere in the last few minutes, however, she had decided that anyone who could feel as much as he looked to have felt while looking at history… was worth at least once chance in her book. She was sure Ron wouldn't have done anything but complain if he were here with her.

She winced internally at that thought. Ron would throw fits if he ever found out that she had basically just asked Malfoy to accompany her in traipsing about a museum. Though she sincerely hoped that he would not find out, she didn't see how he wouldn't notice- she was sure that they were the only two missing from the group. Her mind immediately began thinking of ways to soothe heated tempers as she waited for his response.

Without a word he shook his head just the slightest bit and returned to where he had been standing. She smiled, following him, and they stood before a case containing a few large, golden coins. Neither spoke as they read what the scientists thought the coins were.

"Ancient Spanish gold my arse." Draco muttered. "Those're galleons if I ever saw them."

"Do you suppose the Ministry's caught wind of this yet?"

"Well if they had, don't you think they would have put an end to it already?"

"I… I guess so."

They fell to silence again as they wandered through the coin exhibit, and trod a path through several other displays. What does one say to their worst enemy after finding out that… they might not be that bad? She certainly didn't have a clue, and he didn't seem like he was going to make an attempt at conversation, either. So they refrained from speaking, both discreetly enjoying having another person there to marvel at everything they came across. It wasn't until hours later that Hermione chanced a glance at her watch and choked at the time. She made a grab for his arm just as he was attempting to head into another sectioned off room.

"Draco, the group's going to be heading back to Hogwarts in half an hour and we haven't the faintest idea where they are!" She hissed.

He gave her a confused look at both the use of his first name and her obvious failure to plan ahead. "Don't tell me you honestly skived off without a way to get back to the group?" With an exasperated sigh he pulled his arm from her grasp. "I really give you too much credit sometimes, _Granger_." He stressed her name as though to remind her that they were not supposed to be friends.

If she weren't so interested in how he thought he was going to get back, she might have snapped something back at him. However, when he pulled a small device from his pocket and backed himself into a corner, she merely observed. Pulling out his wand, he flicked it once and she heard the little metal piece gutter to life. Pansy's simpering voice drifted through the room.

"Draco! Where have you been? We're leaving in ten minutes!"

"Nevermind. Where are you?"

She gave him an address and he smiled as he recognized it. "All right w- ah… I'll be there in a few minutes. Stall them, will you?"

With a nervous giggle she agreed and the device went deathly silent. Draco glanced up to Hermione, fixing her with a thoughtful glare. Not knowing how to respond, she simply stared curiously back, waiting to see what he was going to do. He shook his head and pocketed the device once again as they started walking for the exit.

"Do you want to show up first, or shall I?" At her confused look, he continued. "We can hardly go walking back to the group together, Granger. Really, imagine how that would look. Worse than me being here alone."

She rolled her eyes. "Heaven forbid you be seen walking near me of your own free will." Before he could make a snide response, she continued. "I'll go. I'm sure Ron will throw enough of a fit to hold everyone up for a few more minutes until you get there."

She turned to leave, but halted when he called to her. "Wait a minute." She waited patiently, one foot out the door. "Why did you…?" He trailed off, giving her a questioning look.

With a smile, she shook her head, giving the tiniest of shrugs. "The way you were looking at that tapestry. You just looked so sad. What was it about, anyhow? I didn't think to check." She knew most large tapestries told a story of some sort, and always enjoyed being able to see the history in woven art.

"War. Father betrayed by son, loads of people slaughtered on both sides… It was a bloody mess because someone wanted too much power. I guess it just…" He shrugged.

He didn't have to tell her what "it just" for her to understand. It had struck him close to home, and he was questioning what the right thing to do really was. His father held a lot of sway over him, but was following the dark path really what he wanted to do? She was suddenly very glad that she had asked him to stay. If there was even a small chance that Draco wouldn't follow in his father's shadow, if she had taken the first tentative steps toward a new end for him… Then her silence on the matter would be well worth it.

"I'll be around." She offered with a smile, disappearing out the door before he could come up with a retort.

She waved to Harry and Ron, who looked incredibly relieved to see her as she finally approached. Ron chided her, hissing that she had only just barely made it back and that if Pansy weren't covering for that slimy git, Malfoy, she wouldn't have made it on time. Harry speculated on where Malfoy could have gone and none of his or Ron's suggestions were pleasant. Hermione only smiled softly, not saying a word on the matter.

She noticed Draco catch up to the group a few minutes later and subdue Pansy. He tossed a glance in Hermione's direction, though it was a curiously blank expression. She returned with a quickly hidden smile as she hurried to catch up to Harry and Ron again.

Life certainly promised to get interesting very soon.

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/**End A Trip to Remember**/

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